Insider Selling: Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) VP Sells 1,634 Shares of Stock

Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) VP Kimberly Stoll sold 1,634 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.01, for a total transaction of $243,482.34. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $485,176.56. This represents a 33.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Badger Meter Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Badger Meter stock traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $149.24. 242,603 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 412,336. The company has a 50 day moving average of $162.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.25. The stock has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.87. Badger Meter, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.14 and a fifty-two week high of $256.08.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $220.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $232.30 million. Badger Meter had a return on equity of 20.71% and a net margin of 15.45%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Badger Meter’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Badger Meter

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMI. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Badger Meter by 4.6% in the second quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in Badger Meter by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 266 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 76.5% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 521 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 62.3% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 185 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on BMI shares. Zacks Research lowered Badger Meter from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $191.00 target price (down from $229.00) on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Badger Meter in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $232.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Badger Meter currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, founded in 1905 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a global leader in flow measurement and control solutions. The company’s core business centers on the design, manufacture and sale of water meters, control valves and related accessories for municipal and industrial water utilities. Over its more than a century of operation, Badger Meter has built a reputation for precision engineering, durability and compliance with international regulatory standards.

The company’s product portfolio includes mechanical and ultrasonic water meters, electromagnetic flow meters for industrial applications, and a range of control valves that help utilities manage pressure and flow in distribution networks.